There has been a great deal of interest in developing better and more efficient methods for storing energy for applications such as radio communication, satellites, portable computers, and electric vehicles to name but a few. Accordingly, there have been recent concerted efforts to develop high energy, cost effective batteries having improved performance characteristics.
Rechargeable, or secondary cells are more desirable than primary (non-rechargeable) cells since the associated chemical reactions which take place at the positive and negative electrodes of the battery are reversible. Electrodes for secondary cells are capable of being regenerated (i.e. recharged) many times by the application of an electrical charge thereto. Numerous advanced electrode systems have been developed for storing electrical charge. Concurrently, much effort has been dedicated to the development of electrolytes capable of enhancing the capabilities of electrochemical cells.
Heretofore, electrolytes have been either liquid electrolytes as are found in conventional wet cell batteries, or solid films as are available in newer, more advanced battery systems. Each of these systems have inherent limitations, and related deficiencies which make them unsuitable for various applications.
Liquid electrolytes, while demonstrating acceptable ionic conductivity, tend to leak out of the cells into which they are sealed. While better manufacturing techniques have lessened the occurrence of leakage, cells still do leak potentially dangerous liquid electrolytes from time to time. Moreover, any electrolyte leakage lessens the amount of electrolyte available, thus reducing the effectiveness of the cell. Cells using liquid electrolytes are also not available for all sizes and shapes of batteries.
Conversely, solid electrolytes are free from problems of leakage. However, they have vastly inferior properties as compared to liquid electrolytes. For example, conventional solid electrolytes have ionic conductivities in the range of 10.sup.-5 S/cm (Siemens per centimeter), whereas acceptable ionic conductivity is &gt;10.sup.-3 S/cm. Good ionic conductivity is necessary to ensure a battery system capable of delivering usable amounts of power for a given application and is necessary for the high rate operation demanded by, for example, cellular telephones, power tools, and satellites. Accordingly, solid electrolytes are not adequate for many high performance battery systems.
While solid electrolytes are intended to replace the combination of liquid electrolytes and separators used in conventional batteries, the limitations described hereinabove have prevented them from being fully implemented. One class of solid electrolytes, specifically gel electrolytes, have shown some promise. Gel electrolytes contain a significant fraction of solvents (or plasticizers) in addition to the salt and polymer of the electrolyte itself. One processing route that can be used to assemble a battery with a gel electrolyte is to leave out the solvent until after the cell is fabricated. The cell may then be immersed in the solvent and a gel is formed as the solvent is absorbed. Two problems, however, may arise during solvent absorption: (1) the gel electrolyte may lack sufficient mechanical integrity to prevent shorting between the electrodes; and/or (2) excessive swelling accompanies the gel formation. Each of these problems is a significant limitation to the successful implementation of gel electrolytes in electrochemical cells.
The problems identified above are related to the fact that the gel does not contain sufficient porosity prior to immersion in the electrolyte active material. This results in excessive swelling leading to the aforementioned problems. This has been addressed in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,460,904, which describes a process in which the gelling solvent used in forming the gel is subsequently extracted. The process, while creating desired porosity, is expensive and difficult to accomplish repeatedly.
Accordingly, there exists a need for a new electrolyte system which combines the properties of good mechanical integrity, as well as the ability to absorb sufficient amounts of liquid electrolytes so as to produce an electrolyte with the high ionic conductivity of liquid electrolytes. The electrolytes so formed should also avoid excessive swelling, and all the problems associated therewith.